


FOX; ALIVE

by psycho_raven



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Drabble Collection, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 03:45:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13802727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psycho_raven/pseuds/psycho_raven
Summary: It couldn't have been such a tragedy if he did love someone. Or more than one.[Drabble collection focused on Gray Fox! For the last night of the MGS winter challenge. Read the notes so you don't miss the wonderful art that inspired this drabbles.]





	1. >>START

**Author's Note:**

> Starting with some canon Fox/Gustava.
> 
> Inspired by:
> 
> https://kix.tumblr.com/post/171040436551/idk-if-i-ever-posted-this-here-ever-but-in-case-i

 

 

He doesn't believe in miracles. Being a soldier leaves little room for that, so Fox believes Big Boss's words, in the cruelty of war, he also believes that the blood never truly washes off from his hands. That's why, when he meets Gustava, he doesn't find a word that really explains what happens between them. _A second chance_ , she says in a soft voice, resting her hands on his firm but scarred chest. _You deserve it, Frank_. And the way she says his real name almost makes him believe it. Frank doesn't believe in miracles either, but he can try believing in her words.  
  
(Or at least pretend he does).

 

 

 

 


	2. breath in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by:
> 
> http://double-eagle-viii.tumblr.com/post/170819359042/day-3-of-7-for-a4-a-man-once-known-as-frank

 

 

Fox feels the blood drain under his bandana, slipping warmly by his skin until it falls down his chin like the incessant drip of a badly closed tap. He bites his lower lip, waiting for the right moment, and when he does he can taste the blood on the tip of his tongue. Fox is used to it, even the taste has become a little too savory for him. Fox has always preferred when it comes to his own blood, as if someone else's was harder to get rid of. His blood is dispensable, it goes with the water after a cold shower. He sighs, his breath suspended like mist above his own head. Fox thinks of cigarettes and the face of certain someone, knowing it will be a long day.

 

 

 


	3. dream on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by:
> 
> http://eonjebi.tumblr.com/post/168914839098/mgs-secret-santa-for-atlasonstandby-a-comfy

 

 

It lasts for a blink.The incessant beeping that leaves an explosion behind, the sound that makes a broken heart. The shadows climbing around his ankles in the same way he sneaks between dead ends and mutters; I'm your number one fan. Another blink, the warmth of the blood is replaced by the heat of a chimney, a cup of hot coffee between his hands much less rough. The voice of someone who calls from the kitchen. "Frank, is something wrong?" He denies, and when he smiles it's real. Fox closes his eyes and it's no longer there, nor the whistle, nor the pain in the chest. "Nothing Dave, just a bad dream."

 

 

 


	4. the third time's the charm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by:
> 
> https://desolation5row.tumblr.com/post/169042286229/no-thats-bullshit-fox

 

 

Fox's laughter was more like a hoarse panting, as if it came from someone who doesn't usually laugh. His skin felt cold when he leaned on Snake with a smile, even with the desert sun on his head, it gave him chills. "If you repeat the last thing someone said, it will sound like you understand what they say." "I'm not sure if you mean it or you're making fun of me, Frank." He prefers to remember it like that, like the distant echo of a different life. That's why when the Cyborg Ninja takes his own head with both hands and utters a visceral roar, it's like seeing him die again, and Snake is not sure of being able to endure a third time.

 

 

 


	5. GAME OVER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by:
> 
> http://intrudef014.tumblr.com/post/168912957593/best-friend

 

 

The image doesn't assert itself in his head, it arrives at him almost surrealistically, as if it were from third person game. Maybe that's the only reason why Snake manages to finish the mission, because the angles of Fox's face suddenly look unfocused. Like a faded photo, or a moving one to give it more effect. Suddenly he is afraid of not being able to remember how Fox's face was. The blood that runs between Snake's feet is from both of them and mixes as part of a secret pact. Snake notices it bright, like fruit juice, as if this wasn't happening. As if he was going to wake up at any minute. It's Fox's hollow laugh what brings him back to earth. "I need you to be here to tell you my last words. I need you to remember."

 

 

 


	6. you are such a liar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by:
> 
> http://intrudef014.tumblr.com/post/167928944488/taking-the-kids-fishing

 

 

_It's a special training_ , Fox tells him softly as if it were a secret muttered just for him. _Big Boss doesn't choose anyone, only the most qualified_. Fox's words have an immediate effect on Snake, who suddenly imagines the wet smell of the jungle, the knife in his hand and the proud look of Big Boss. Fox's too. He looks back at him, as if deciding at that moment what is going to be the rest of his life, and nods convincingly. _Count me in_. Fox slaps him on the back, pleased to have dragged him along so he doesn't have to suffer the extravagances of Big Boss on his own, not the taste of the fish still alive.

 

 

 


	7. best friends forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by:
> 
> http://intrudef014.tumblr.com/post/166456311863/best-fweinds-forever

 

 

Both of them are wet to the bone, tired and miserable. That the mission has been a success is the least important thing when the incessant sound of the propeller drills into their skull after days without sleep, days with the beep of the bombs echoing in their ears. The tension is almost palpable between the two. A snort. Snake's lighter doesn't work. Fox growls a curse under his breath and Snake looks at him out of the corner of his eye, waiting for the fight, almost wishing for it. They are not sure who starts, but after exchanging a few insults Fox has him tied to the collar of his shirt, his hot breath escaping between his almost animal grunts. They are also not sure who starts laughing, but both feel better after a good laugh.

 

 

 


	8. childhood memories are forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the happy kid AU we deserve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by:
> 
> https://atlasonstandby.tumblr.com/post/167219191926/foxsnake-week-2017-day-2-bloodshed-i-dont-have

 

 

After so many fights they have learned that blood is almost impossible to remove from clothes. Not that they care much, really, because it's a reminder. Frank's back feels warm when he leans against it, clumsily wiping the blood dripping from his nose. Tired but satisfied, Frank murmurs a few words of congratulations for that last punch and David laughs, looking for the music player among the things that were thrown to the ground before the fight started. They share headphones as always, they share everything. The melody is quietly installed in their joyful hearts, knowing themselves owners of a ritual that only belongs to them, something that no one can ever take away.

 

 

 


	9. every victory counts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh Fox you naughty fucker. ft Hell Master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by:
> 
> https://peacesentinel.tumblr.com/post/167139685047/3-2-1-lets-go

 

 

Fox’s hands feel heavy against Snake’s shoulders but he likes the pressure. It has been weeks full of training and without any sleep, and the training to which Fox put him through it's even more strict than that of the dreaded Hell Master. But everything it's worth it. Snake flexes his arms, lights a cigarette and watches the cloud of smoke take form in front of his eyes as a foretaste of the long-awaited victory. Fox's hands squeeze his shoulders a bit more before releasing him, giving him the last push to where Miller awaits. _And you know, there will be a reward if you come out victorious_. Snake has to swallow heavy, dry mouth and new images replacing the ones of his early victory.

 

 

 


	10. remember, remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fox + Big Boss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by:
> 
> https://peacesentinel.tumblr.com/post/162908703717/bosseva-renaissance-gray-fox-big-boss-friends

 

 

Big Boss's laugh fills the whole place, as it does his presence. When he laughs everyone in the room feels like laughing, or that’s how Fox likes to remember him. He used to put an arm around his shoulders and offer him a cigar that Fox always rejected. _You have to live, boy. That's why I brought you here, remember?_ The war stories, in which he turned the strongest of men into a weeping child, always overcame the campfire stories where the veterans told about how the Boss still believed in Santa. For Fox, none of them excluded the other. In his eyes, they made him even more admirable. And yet he still wonders how did he lose that smile.

 

 

 


End file.
